


Give Your Local Tracer A Hug

by CanineR7A7



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Post-Recall, That took a lot longer to write out than I thought it would, The relationships can be read as platonic or romantic, Tracer can't be happy all the time, the characters might be ooc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-03-21 21:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 9,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13749501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanineR7A7/pseuds/CanineR7A7
Summary: Tracer has done a lot for the reformed Overwatch, the team like to remind her that she's wanted.





	1. Doomfist

Doomfist didn’t even blink when an explosion sounded to his right, the Talon grunts in front of him seemed to be shaking in fear, he would’ve laughed – he once commanded them, he once believed in Talon’s goals – he could almost feel a pain in his prosthetic arm, if it weren’t for Overwatch’s mascot he would’ve died. Seeing that the soldiers before him had already begun to retreat, he allowed his thoughts to drift back to that day:

_A sharp pain burst through his arm, leaving nothing but a stump, he cried out as he fell to the floor – the pain from the countless battles he’d fought in the past felt like nothing compared to what he felt now. A gun pressed against his head, forcing it to the ground._

_“Not so tough now are ya’?” The sadistic sergeant growled._

_“I command you to let me up.” Doomfist boomed, hoping his reputation would be enough to scare the soldier, to his surprise, the sergeant just laughed._

_“Now why would I do that?” The soldier taunted._

_“Leadership will not take this lightly.” Doomfist threatened, pushing against the gun._

_“Who do you think ordered this?” The sergeant laughed, Doomfist’s eyes widened. He heard the sergeant’s finger move to cover the trigger._

_“For what it’s worth, I always did admire you.” At that moment a blue light appeared and Doomfist watched as the sergeant dropped to the floor._

_“You alright Luv?” Doomfist looked up at his unexpected saviour, he would’ve thought the Overwatch mascot would be happy that he was about to meet his end._

_“Why?” He cringed-internally at the slight rasp to his voice._

_“That’s not a way for anyone to go out.” Tracer said, helping him to his feet._

_“I could end you, right now.” He cautioned, to his surprise, she laughed._

_“You could, but you won’t.” That was all she said before darting off, faster than time itself. Doomfist didn’t hesitate to leave Talon, when he arrived at Watchpoint: Gibraltar, Tracer was stood there, a knowing look in her eyes._

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a scream next to him, something in his chest freezing over when Tracer went down, blood seeping from wounds on her shoulder and legs. Doomfist looked up and saw a rocket heading straight towards her; he knew he would survive the collision; he quickly placed his prosthetic over her back and positioned his body with his back facing the explosive.

 

* * *

 

 

When they were checked over after the mission, he found himself sat in the rec room with Tracer curled into his side.


	2. Genji

Genji was pacing in the hallway outside the agents’ rooms, he could sleep if her wanted to but he no-longer gained anything from it, besides he preferred pacing the hallways while the others slept, it allowed him to think about his past and the friends who had helped him along the way – none had been as helpful as Lena, he would normally talk to her when his thoughts returned to the early days following his treatment, but the woman had lost enough sleep already; it pained him to see her in such a way, purple bags under her eyes, slumped shoulders and a cheery grin that looked forced – even for Lena – he shrugged it off, reassuring himself that she would come to him if she needed someone to speak to, his thoughts drifted off to the day they first met:

_Genji had just finished his training session and he chose to rest on the catwalk above the rest of the training facility, he was thankful that no other agent had shared his idea, the others respected him well enough but he hated the looks of pity that always seemed present when he was in the room._

_“Mind some company?” A very-British voice sounded next to him, he was about to decline the person’s offer before he noticed her expression – not a single trace of pity could be found, that either meant that this woman hated him, or she truly understood his hatred of it._

_“Go ahead.” He would’ve smiled if he was able, but she seemed to know that. The two sat in a pleasant silence – interrupted only by her humming – Genji couldn’t bring himself to relax though, he had to know what she thought of him._

_“You don’t seem bothered by me.” It upset him slightly to see a sad smile on her face, he knew she was like the rest – he would’ve run off then if not for her words._

_“I’d be quite a hypocrite wouldn’t I?” Her words confused him until he noticed the device strapped to her chest, it was then that he realized her identity, he felt shame at his assumptions, but any apologies were cut off by her giggle._

_“We make a right pair don’t we?” He released a laugh of his own at that statement._

_“Sometimes I fear that the others see me as a freak, a monster.” He admitted solemnly, surprised when he felt her hand on his shoulder._

_“Then let’s be freaks together.” She’d laughed; it was at that moment that he realised he had made his first proper friend._

His musings were cut off when he heard a loud yell, dread building as he ran to Lena’s door – he’d heard her shrieks often enough to recognise them in a nightclub with the music turned all-the-way up; he ran through the door as soon as it opened and almost cried at the sight of his friend clutching the blankets as if they were the only things keeping her there.

“Lena?” He called gently, trying not to let any trace of pity enter his voice.

“Genji.” She sighed in relief, he moved over to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, it had become their way of comforting each other since the day they met.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He wasn’t surprised when she shook her head.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” He asked, already standing up.

“At this time?” She glanced at him; he could feel his muscles twitching as they tried to form a smile.

“I won’t say anything if you don’t.”

 

* * *

 

 

When the others woke up that morning, they didn’t question why the two agents were asleep on one of the couches, an old Marvel film playing in the background.


	3. McCree

Jesse sighed when his gun ran out of ammo, he usually took his frustrations out on the many target drones that dotted the area, he would have preferred to spar with someone but Genji was on a mission and his other sparring partners were probably asleep. He sighed again when he glanced at the wrecked drones in front of him, Torbjörn wouldn’t be happy; this was the fifth time this week Jesse had gone overboard – he laughed slightly when he remembered the one time the engineer hadn’t threatened to bolt his gun to the ceiling:

_“Fuck.” Jesse cursed when he looked at the remains of the drones, he’d failed his last mission and he doubted Torbjörn would go easy on him._

_“You alright there Luv?” The sound of Tracer’s voice startled him; he turned to glare at her._

_“Warn a guy before you do that.” He was mildly surprised when she just laughed at him, he watched as she looked over the damage._

_“So, what do you think Torb’ll do to ya’ this time?” He sent an unimpressed glance in her direction, although he found it funny that the engineer would only let her use that nickname._

_“Don’t wanna think about it.” He groaned, he turned to her again when he heard something click next to him – he watched in stunned silence as she threw one of her pulse bombs at the drones._

_“Goddammit Oxton!” A voice from behind them yelled, Tracer started to walk off then, winking at him briefly._

_“Well I’ll be dammed, people do care.” He started whistling as he walked back to his room, wondering how he’d repay the favour._

He was broken out of his thoughts when a pair of pulse pistols sounded next to him.

“Think of the devil.” He laughed to himself; he turned to face Lena and watched as only half of her shots hit the moving drone.

“Ever heard of aiming?” He jokingly yelled, he watched as she turned to face him, a shit-eating grin on her face. He felt a rubber ball bounce off his chest and couldn’t help but laugh at the childishness of it.

“Ever heard of dodging?” She yelled back.

“Fair enough darlin’.” He smiled as he leaned against the wall, he waited for her to reload – jealous that she didn’t have to buy ammo like the rest of them – he walked over, the smile on her face suggesting she knew he would.

“Here, let me teach you how to aim and you can teach me all about dodging.” He knew that this was just an excuse to avoid Torbjörn’s wrath but she didn’t seem to mind.

 

* * *

 

 

It was worth the rant he got from Angela for his bruises, he thought, sitting there with a glass of whiskey, listening to one of Lena’s many stories – he didn’t ask about the scars that were visible now her gloves were off, he never did.


	4. Pharah

Fareeha smiled as she relaxed in the watchpoint’s rec room, she stared at the faded poster that the others hadn’t bothered to take down – it depicted the former flight-lieutenant, a grin fixed firmly on her face as she talked to some children, one of her many phrases written at the bottom ‘The world could always use more heroes.’ – Fareeha remembered when she was younger, the stories she was told about Overwatch, she was never told of the Slipstream but she’d researched it herself when no-one was looking; she admitted that she used to be jealous of Oxton, the woman was younger than Fareeha, younger than any other member of Overwatch at that time – her jealousy faded after her research, instead she felt a strange urge to protect her, she almost laughed when she remembered that it was Lena who had rescued _her_ instead:

_Fareeha was walking home, her mother had work to do at the watchpoint and she didn’t want to distract her, it was then that she felt someone push her forward – she turned quickly to see a knife lodge itself in her saviour’s shoulder, she turned to see where it had come from and saw her would-be attacker retreating._

_“Bugger it all.” She turned when she heard her saviour speak, internally-freaking out when she saw Tracer holding the knife handle._

_“Doc’s gonna kill me.” The woman sighed._

_“Are you okay?” Fareeha asked cautiously, Tracer turned to face her._

_“Yeah, nothing I can’t handle.” She smiled, Fareeha would be lying if she said she believed her, the woman turned to leave but stopped at the last minute._

_“What’s your name?” Fareeha was surprised that the woman wanted to know – the jealous part of her believed that Tracer had only helped her because she was related to one of her higher-ups._

_“Fareeha, Fareeha Amari.” She was happy that Tracer didn’t try to act differently around her._

_“You gonna be alright?” She nodded and watched as Tracer started to walk off, still holding her shoulder._

_“See ya’ Pharah.”_

Fareeha smiled at the memory, she didn’t know whether Tracer realised the origins of her call-sign. She startled when she heard a thud from the other side of the door, she walked over to it and froze when she saw the sight of Lena bleeding out next to the door.

“Lena?” She knelt down, gently pulling the younger woman into her arms, mildly surprised when Lena didn’t try to brush her off.

“What happened?” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and started dabbing at the cut on her head.

“Went for a walk.” She coughed before carrying on.

“Remember that bastard from a few years ago?” Fareeha almost laughed when she realised it was the event she had just been thinking about.

“Yeah.” She responded cautiously.

“He remembered.” That was all Fareeha needed to hear, she gently picked Lena up and carried her to the med-bay, after making sure that the younger woman was comfortable; Fareeha ventured out of the watchpoint, something murderous in her eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

If the others knew she was responsible for the crater in the middle of the road, or the man who was admitted to the hospital, they said nothing.


	5. Reaper

Gabe was sat alone, in the past he used to like things that way, not many people within Overwatch approved of Blackwatch and avoided him and his crew like the plague. He didn’t much like them either, too stuck up their own asses, he always wanted to see what would happen if Blackwatch disappeared, if they had to deal with the morally wrong shit. Now though, he hated it, each time the group was in the same room they’d congregate in their own little groups, most of them ignoring his existence – he knew they weren’t trying to exclude him, they just didn’t know what to talk to him about – but just because he understood didn’t make it hurt any less. Well, maybe Oxton helped:

_He stared at the blank surface of the desk in front of him, Jack had just finished chewing him out just because the mission hadn’t gone as planned, well too bad Jackie boy Blackwatch missions rarely went how they were supposed to._

_“Fuck!” He slammed his fist on the table, he couldn’t talk to anyone else, they barely tolerated him as it was, he couldn’t talk to his team either after the tongue lashing they’d had. A blue light caught his attention, he turned to see the poster-girl herself. No matter how hard he tried, Gabe could never bring himself to hate her, sure she was one of Morrison’s lot but she had been someone Gabe wanted to recruit._

_“Everything ok luv?” He nearly scoffed, nothing was alright, nothing was ever alright. He considered her for a few moments; she had a naivety to her that would’ve been unsuitable for Blackwatch ops. Her default expression was a smile that he was surprised hadn’t broken her face. But there was something about her, something in her eyes that even her cheerful nature couldn’t hide, something that spoke of horrors that the average person could never understand. He would put it down to the Slipstream, but the look seemed too haunted for it._

_“No.” He answered instead; she seemed to take that as an invitation and perched on the chair next to him, ready to run away at a moment’s notice._

_“Want to talk about it?” He knew how old she was, but her tone seemed to match that of a teenager instead of a respected pilot. He thought about it for a moment, did he really want to share his anger with her, would she be willing to listen or would she ridicule him like the others? He decided that she couldn’t do any more damage than he’d done and told her what’d happened, trying to keep the harsh comments about Jack and the others to himself. He watched as she listened to him, paying attention to each syllable, occasionally rubbing her arm or furrowing her brow. He finished talking and watched as she considered his words._

_“Sounds like you had it handled luv.” He almost laughed._

_“Not according to Jack.” He saw something dark enter her eyes, it was disconcerting, seeing such an expression on someone usually so full of joy._

_“Ignore Jack bloody Morrison. You knew what you were doing, and hey, no one got hurt.” He certainly didn’t expect her to agree with him._

_“I thought you’d take his side.” She didn’t seem to take any offence to his statement, merely shrugged and stood to leave._

_“Sometimes things happen, we can’t always control what happens, all we can do is hope it gets better.” There was an age to her words, his eyes narrowed as he considered her tense posture. ‘Who hurt you Oxton? Who do I have to kill?’ She merely waved and blinked away with a giggle. Time to do some research._

Gabe sighed when he realised he never did find anything out; the woman was still a mystery to him even now. He stood and began his usual walk around the watchpoint, making sure nothing was there that shouldn’t be. He was about to pass the large storage cupboard when he heard almost-silent sobs coming from the door. He opened it, blue glow immediately alerting him to who it was.

“Oxton?” He heard the whimpers stop and crouched down, seeing her curled up under one of the shelves.

“What is it?” He felt something being pushed into his hand, realising it was a photo he stared at the people depicted in it. The person in the middle was clearly Lena in her RAF blues, the woman to her left was her old girlfriend in a simple white dress shirt, he knew what happened to the red head and felt something painful twisting in his chest, he didn’t recognise the other woman – blond hair, dark blue eyes and dressed in the greens of the British Royal Army, blazer held over one shoulder in a metal arm. He looked at the back of the photo _Sydney Taylor, Lena Oxton, and Emily Arrington._

“Are they…?” He trailed off, closing his eyes at Lena’s nod. He gently leaned forward and picked the smaller agent up, cradling her close to him as he headed to the common room knowing no one else would be there.

* * *

 

If the others noticed the way Lena gravitated to him when the team were gathered in the common room, no one said anything.


	6. Soldier: 76

Contrary to popular belief, Jack did care about his team, maybe he no longer showed it, maybe he had stopped talking to the others as much as he used to. Times had changed, all of them had changed, except maybe Lena, the girl didn’t look any older than she did before Overwatch disbanded. Here he was, too much grey, not enough stamina, and she had just as much energy and enthusiasm as she used to. She was still the same in battle, Jack didn’t have any kids of his own, wouldn’t know how to handle kids of his own, but that still didn’t stop the others joking about him being her father, he wasn’t sure he minded. They did the same thing in the glory days:

_The mission had been a hard one but it was nothing the team wasn’t used to, at least most of them. Oxton was a new addition; he had been sceptical of sending the cadet out there despite knowing they’d be able to cover her if necessary. The only reason he’d agreed was the knowledge that Reyes had considered her for Blackwatch. They were just getting off the jet when he felt a pain in his side; he looked down and saw a patch of blood slowly forming._

_“Great.” He sighed, motioning to the others he was fine before leaning back in his seat, he heard someone cough next to him. He turned and saw Oxton stood before him, his attention immediately snapping to the bandage wrapped around her leg, thankful it was nothing too serious._

_“Need some help Sir?” He couldn’t help but smile; she had a kind of energy around her, one that made it impossible not to smile. It may also have something to do with the fact she reminded him of an energetic puppy, but he found himself allowing her to help him stand. To his surprise she didn’t let go until they reached the medbay, even stayed until he fell asleep._

_“Here you go Jackie.” Jack sighed when he felt something hit his face, he lifted it up, realising it was a blue t-shirt with the words ‘N o 1 Dad!’ written in white on the front._

_“Reyes.” He watched as his old friend smiled at him and felt his own features shift into a menacing grin._

_“Start running.” He watched as the other man took off and leaned back in his bed. He would never admit to wearing that shirt to bed every night, or that he had to stop himself from referring to Lena as his daughter._

He walked into the common room and saw Lena dozing on one of the couches; he walked over and placed a hand lightly on her shoulder.

“Dad?” She murmured as her eyes blinked open, not exactly seeing anything. Jack smiled beneath his visor and lightly ruffled her hair, laughing quietly as she attempted to bat his hand away.

“Go back to sleep kid.” He waited for her breathing to even out before putting his jacket over her, knowing there weren’t any blankets nearby.

* * *

 

If anyone noticed that he started to wear his old shirt around the watchpoint or that Reyes kept grinning at him everytime he checked on the resident speedster, no one said anything.


	7. Sombra

Sombra had to admit she was curious about Overwatch’s poster-girl; after all, no one could be that cheery all of the time. By her nature, Sombra was someone who wanted to know everyone’s secrets, wanted to have something she could use against people, something she could defend herself with. It’s what made people like Tracer, open-books, so annoying, because they didn’t mind that people knew everything, didn’t mind that strangers probably knew everything there was to know. But there was something, something in the speedster’s eyes that told of secrets, secrets that were only written in her mind. It was funny, Sombra thought as she stared at her screen, she was chasing Oxton’s secrets yet the former-pilot had discovered some of her own without even trying:

_Sombra hated working for Talon, sure their resources were useful for her own goals, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed it. She would’ve left and burned them to the ground by now, if not for the threat they held over her sister’s head. She ducked into an alleyway near the base she was stationed at before pulling the creased photo from her pocket, she would’ve kept a digital copy but she knew that would be easier for Talon to find._

_“Who’s that?” She whirled around, no one was there. She pulled her gun from her side, keeping it pointed at the alleyway entrance._

_“Now, now, I’m not here to fight.” She caught a blue flash in the corner of her eye, what was Overwatch doing here?_

_“Relax. I just wanna talk.” She put the gun away but that didn’t mean she wasn’t ready to fight at a moment’s notice._

_“Make it quick amiga.” She couldn’t afford to stay away from Talon for much longer._

_“The girl in the picture, her name’s Alejandra, isn’t it?” Sombra felt her blood run cold, if Overwatch knew then…_

_“What have you done to her?” Sombra snarled as she pointed her gun at the other woman. Tracer held her hands up in a placating motion._

_“Easy, she had some trouble from Los Muertos, did I say that right? A few weeks ago, one of ours helped her; she’s in a safe-house now.” Sombra kept her gun pointed at the agent until she was sure it wasn’t a trick. Eventually she put it down and sighed._

_“She’s safe?” Tracer nodded and Sombra let her first real smile for years appear._

_“Then I’m free.” Tracer seemed to know what she meant and offered a smile._

_“Come on Luv, you’ve got a sister whose been missing you.” Sombra almost jumped at the offer but she could feel something at the back of her mind, something telling saying her business wasn’t finished._

_“I can’t, not yet.” She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and brought her eyes to meet Tracer’s._

_“I know you’re planning on going after Talon, but there’s still a couple of people we need to get out. Soon as that happens you’ll have all the help you need to bring Talon down.” Sombra knew who the speedster meant; she could agree that neither of them deserved to be burned. She took a breath and allowed Overwatch’s mascot to lead her away._

She smiled as she remembered that day, she couldn’t see her sister that often, not with the risk of her being discovered but it was nice knowing she was finally safe. She almost walked past the training area until something caught her eye, she stopped and saw Tracer was taking a break from whatever training she’d been doing, but her eyes were focused on a patch of jagged scars on her back where her shirt had ridden up, she almost brushed them off as combat scars but they looked too old.

“Hey Chica.” She called as she walked over, smiling when Tracer’s head perked up. Sombra took a seat to the speedster’s left, purposely resting a hand over the scars, pretending not to notice the speedster stiffen.

“Was there something ya needed?” Sombra couldn’t tell whether she was trying to distract her or not.

“No, I was just checking up on you.” Tracer was suspicious, that much she could tell.

“I’m good, just finished up here.” Tracer stood up to leave, Sombra waited until she was halfway to the door before speaking.

“If I asked who did that to you, would you tell me?” She watched as the speedster’s shoulders tensed before slumping.

“Let’s just say my childhood wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.” Sombra could fell her blood burning.

“Where are they?” To Sombra’s surprise, Tracer let out a sad laugh.

“Dead.”

“Do they hurt?” Sombra wasn’t a medical expert but even she could tell the scars never healed right.

“Sometimes."

* * *

 

If anyone noticed the way Tracer ended up asleep on Sombra’s lap while the hacker massaged her back on a bad day, no one said anything.


	8. Bastion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first attempt at getting in Bastion's head-space.

Bastion didn’t understand people, he’d tried but they were nothing like he was used to, everyone was different, no one was the same. He remembered when the small grumpy one brought him to the watchpoint, his mainframe almost overheated – he was created with the purpose of harming mankind, but now he was working with them, he wasn’t programmed for this. Although the ~~malfunctioning~~ glitched one helped:

_The watchpoint garden was peaceful, one of the few variables that remained unchanging. He liked that, he’d been connected to the internet – that was what it was called? – And had tried to catch up on everything, he’d even tried to research how to adapt to people but he had yet to find anything._

_“Alright Bastion?” His voice-recognition software alerted him who it was without him turning his head – Lena Oxton. Former Flight Lieutenant of the RAF. Slipstream test pilot. Overwatch agent. Status: Ally. He tilted his head in her direction, releasing a short series of beeps that she likely wouldn’t understand._

_“How do you like the watchpoint so far?” He let out another sequence of beeps. The area of the establishment he inhabited was the only one he felt comfortable in, the only area where he didn’t get overwhelmed by concepts he didn’t understand._

_“Having trouble settling in heh?” He froze for a second; she understood what he was saying?_

_“I suppose you must be.” He tilted his head in curiosity._

_“You were built for war, not peace. Only makes sense they wouldn’t’ve thought to help you understand how people work.” He let out a low whine, chassis creaking as he lowered himself to be closer to her eye-level._

_“I don’t understand how you feel exactly, but I know adjusting can be hard, everyone here does.” He let out another sequence._

_“We’re all different Bastion, even you. But that doesn’t mean we don’t feel the same way about some things. Change being one of them.” He perked up at the idea that there was something that linked them._

_“I’ve gotta get going, see ya around big guy.” She blinked off, unknowingly sending the omnic into a panic, is she malfunctioning? Is that what she was programmed to do? Wait, people can’t do that. Why can she do that?_

Bastion shook his head, an action he’d seen the humans do but never understood why, he still doesn’t. He had that woman to thank for finally being able to interact with the others without overloading; she’d helped to explain some concepts although she seemed confused by others. His thought’s drifted off – is that what it was called? - He turned to face the ocean, night had long since fallen and he liked the way the moon reflected against the water. A different glow caught his attention, he turned, weapon hesitantly raised – lowering upon realising who was there. He plodded over, pausing to scan the person before him, he lifted Tracer up after ensuring she was unharmed and carried her over to the lone bench, allowing himself to enter his sentry configuration – he wouldn’t let any harm come to her while she slept.

* * *

 

If anyone noticed the turret that seemed to watch them whenever Tracer was relaxing outside, they didn’t say anything.


	9. Hanzo

Hanzo didn’t socialise much, his very nature was one of solitude, he used to believe it was due to the demons he carried, they’d be reason enough. But lately he found he was simply not a social person, the others seemed to accept this which he was thankful for, he would talk to his brother, the sensible woman who sat alone when in a room with the others, he only talked to the others on the field, apart from the odd occasion he felt comfortable in the presence of the others. Well, maybe there was one other person he felt comfortable with:

_He was sat in his usual bar near his home, nursing his fifth drink of the night when he saw her. The woman in question was sat a few seats away from him, normally he would ignore everyone around him when he was in his current state, yet something about her kept drawing his attention, whether it was the device strapped to her torso or the glances she kept sending his way, he didn’t know._

_“You alright Luv?” He sighed, he wasn’t alright, hadn’t been for a long time, not since Genji… She wouldn’t want to hear his problems anyway._

_“One of those days eh?” He nodded, he highly doubted she knew what he was experiencing._

_“Not very talkative are ya? That’s ok; I just came here to give ya something.” He turned to face her, merely raising an eyebrow, what was she planning? She placed a small package in front of him._

_“I’ve gotta go now, hope everything gets better for you Luv.” He watched her leave and considered the package for a few minutes before opening it. He pulled out a pachimari plush and a crumpled note. He glanced around before unfolding it, blood going cold when he recognised the messy handwriting._

_‘Brother, if you are reading this, know that I am not dead. I understand why you did what you did, the clan came first, Father taught us that, I know you would never have hurt me if you were given the choice. I am currently on my way home, although I won’t be staying long._

  * _Genji_



_Hanzo quickly paid for his drinks and headed off, looks like his usual home visit would happen sooner than expected._

He gained a small smile as he thought back on that visit, he didn’t know how the British woman knew how to find him, even Genji didn’t know he went to that bar, but he was thankful all the same. He left his room, knowing there wouldn’t be anyone else in the common room. He froze when he entered the room, he hadn’t expected Oxton to be there, especially not with a half-empty bottle on the table next to her. He wasn’t very skilled in making conversation so he merely took the seat next to her and poured himself a glass, she would speak when ready. They remained that way for a few minutes before she began.

“How did it feel?” He didn’t need her to explain what she meant.

“At first, I felt nothing. Then it was as if a part of me was lost, I cannot even begin to explain how painful it was.” He saw understanding in her eyes, she knew what he meant?

“I lost people too.” People? She hadn’t just lost one? He listened as she spoke of Mondatta, how she should’ve took the bullet but didn’t. She spoke of an omnic who had been brutalised in the streets, only to fade in her arms moments later. She spoke of an army Lieutenant who’d died moments before a building collapsed, she couldn’t stop the jet in time. She spoke of her girlfriend who went missing only to be found dead days later, she should’ve gone with her. Hanzo felt the layer of ice around his heart melt at each story, how is it that one so cheery could suffer the worst? He didn’t even notice he was hugging her until he felt the shivers that wracked her frame.

* * *

 

If anyone noticed the way they regularly met for drinks, or the way Hanzo conveniently had time at the end of each mission only for Oxton, they never said anything.


	10. Junkrat

Junkrat enjoyed fighting Talon, enjoyed fighting anyone really, there was something pleasing about the way his bombs tore people apart. Yes, he knew he was insane. No, he didn’t care. He laughed as another group of soldiers fell and hobbled over to one of the few forms of cover to prep another concussion mine. The areas where his prosthetics met his skin itched as he allowed his mind to wander:

_He wasn’t in a good mood, his prosthetics had been playing up for weeks and he hadn’t figured out what was wrong with them yet. He hobbled along, his leg slowly growing heavier, his frag launcher was clutched in his left hand while his right one hung limp by his side. An explosion shook the ground inches from where he was running; maybe he shouldn’t have pissed someone off while only half of his limbs were working. He could hear Roadhog somewhere on his left, the brute wouldn’t make it, he turned too quickly, landing on his side. He stared at his leg which had chosen the PERFECT time to stop supporting him. He could make out vague silhouettes behind the smoke, well; he always knew he wouldn’t live to see sixty._

_“Cavalry’s here.” Oh great, he was hearing things. A blue explosion shook the ground; he bolted into a sitting position and watched as the silhouettes fell away – replaced by a blue glow._

_“You alright luv?” Was that a British accent? He couldn’t tell. He tried to stand up only for his leg to give out a second time. He saw the newcomer approach, she was shorter than him – at least she would be if he could stand straight – Roady was behind her, only making her look smaller, then again he had that effect on everyone._

_“Just fine Sheila.” He could tell she didn’t believe him, and judging by his snort, Roady didn’t either, traitor. She held a hand out to him, and after seeing she had no other weapons within easy reach, he grabbed it. She was stronger than she looked if she was able to pull him up and support his weight, she had to change her grip every now and then but that was likely because of the height difference over anything. They came to a stop near a white ship, if the way Roady headed over to it was any sign; he already knew what was happening._

_“I have a friend in there who might be able to help you.” Ah screw it, he had no self-preservation anyway._

His feral grin morphed into a ‘normal’ smile, he never did thank her for saving his skin, and she was a pretty big deal to the others, that much he knew. His musings were cut off when he heard something land next to him; he turned and saw her struggling to get up. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the wound on her head as well as the blood pooling from some other injury he couldn’t see. He pulled her over to him and lobbed the mine over the temporary barricade, shielding her head as it went off. He shot one of his frags in the air, one that he’d designed specifically to alert their medic. He saw the monk float over and gently – well, gently for him – handed her over to him, he may not trust omnics but he knew that one wouldn’t hurt her.

* * *

 

If anyone noticed he didn’t let go of her until her wounds healed, or the way he waved his detonator at anyone who looked like they’d hurt her, they didn’t say anything.


	11. Mei

Mei gazed at the patch of snow building near the watchpoint, many people would assume that she enjoyed winter, maybe she did at one point, but that was before Antarctica. She pulled her quilt tighter around her shoulders, smiling at the warmth, at least this time she wouldn’t be trapped somewhere with no-one looking for her. Her thoughts drifted back to the first winter she experienced at the watchpoint, the first one after she woke up:

_She could feel the cold seeping in through the window; the cold didn’t bother her much, though she supposed it should after nine years in cryo-sleep. Her brow furrowed as she thought back on the day she woke up, only to learn that she was the only one left, that there probably wasn’t anyone looking for her. She trembled as she thought about the people she’d been stationed with, how she’d never see them again – it hurt some days, hurt knowing that while she’d only lost them a few months ago, the other members of the old Overwatch had already mourned them and moved on – she wanted nothing more than to talk to one of the others about it, but she couldn’t bring herself to uncover old grief, she couldn’t bring it up with the newer members either, not after everything they’d experienced. She heard the door slide open and turned to face who had just walked  in, blood-shot eyes landing on warm ones._

_“Mei? Everything alright luv?” Mei forced herself to nod, Lena was one of the most caring people the climatologist had ever met, she knew Lena wouldn’t judge her for crying but she couldn’t bear to drag up old ghosts. The former-pilot’s eyes sharpened for a moment, Mei could still feel the slight tremors that wracked her frame and prayed that Lena didn’t notice, the speedster merely nodded and put the kettle on. Mei didn’t even realise she had collapsed until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her._

_“It’s okay luv, let it out.” She didn’t know why it was suddenly too hard to fight the tears, a few seconds passed before she felt them slipping from her eyes. A sob forced itself out of her throat, she felt her glasses being gently pulled from her face before a hand began smoothing through her hair. She didn’t know how long they stayed like that; all she could feel was how tired she truly was._

_“Come on, let’s get you to bed.” She slumped against the Brit as they walked, they stopped after a couple of minutes and Mei knew they were at Lena’s room instead of hers, even without seeing the RAF poster on the wall. If she weren’t so tired she would’ve argued that she could’ve made it to her room, but she knew it would be pointless – Lena’s room was closer to the rec room and the speedster could be extremely stubborn when she set her mind to something. She woke up late the next morning, feeling guilty when she realised Lena had slept on the floor, guilt that the energetic woman wouldn’t let her feel for long. She said nothing at first, not until she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders; after that she couldn’t stop, not until she’d gotten to the cryo-sleep – Lena had listened to every word, never once interrupting or telling her to get over it._

_“That must’ve been hard luv, I’m sorry I didn’t realise sooner.” She wanted to argue, wanted to say that Lena didn’t know, but she knew it wouldn’t stop the Brit from believing it._

_“I can’t promise I understand exactly what you went through, we’re kind of similar now that I think about it.” Mei gained a sad smile at that, Lena’s experience with time was worse than hers, no matter how often the younger woman denied it._

_“But, I can promise that if you ever need someone to talk to, I’ll be willing to listen.”_

Mei smiled at the memory; Lena had kept her promise, even on the days when she looked as though she was surviving on willpower alone. Mei frowned when she spotted something – someone – in the window, eyes widening in concern as she hurried out the room, hastily grabbing her parka. The winter air didn’t bother her as she ran to the watchpoint courtyard, Bastion was inside to prevent potential damage being done to his circuits. Mei felt her heart clench when the trademark bomber jacket was no-where in sight.

“Lena?” She called hesitantly, frowning when the other woman didn’t move. She walked over and saw the woman’s eyes were glazed over; Mei cursed whatever God was out there for trapping Lena in her memories in this weather. She fastened the parka around the time-traveller’s shoulders, there wasn’t much difference between their heights, but their builds were different enough that the jacket alone wouldn’t help much. Mei gently pulled her up, feeling worried at the way she slumped against her. Getting back to her room wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would be and she quickly placed Lena in the bed, not bothering to remove the parka as she pulled the quilt over her. She could tell Lena was beginning to warm up after a few moments passed, sighing in relief that she wouldn’t have to trouble to resident doctor.

“Wha-?” Lena murmured as she began to wake up, Mei helped her into a sitting position, ensuring the quilt was still covering her.

“Easy, you’re okay now.” She ran a hand through windswept spikes as emotions flickered through Lena’s eyes, too quickly for her to lock on one.

“What were you doing out there?” She listened as Lena talked of the friends she lost before joining Overwatch and how it’d triggered one of her episodes. Mei held the woman as she cried, not letting go until she’d helped the Brit through a nightmare-riddled sleep.

* * *

 

If anyone noticed the way Mei refused to leave her side when Lena’s memories overwhelmed her, no-one said anything.


	12. Torjörn

Torjörn released a tired sigh as he finished the upgrades to his turret, he took a sip of the coffee – that had long since gone cold – sitting next to him. Talon had been growing more frantic in their efforts to put Overwatch down, likely caused by the loss of two of their leaders and a certain hacker. His turrets had been taking more of a beating lately, not good when the work they did was still considered illegal. At least it wasn’t as bad as the London mission a few years ago, back when Null Sector was considered as dangerous as Talon;

_He didn’t know where all the hostiles were coming from, certainly not the underground, that had stopped being their base of operations long before the attack. He hurriedly placed one of his turrets, watching in horror as it sparked before deactivating completely. He felt something collide with him, an explosion sounding seconds later, destroying the faulty turret._

_“That was close.” He admits he had some reservations about the rookie joining them – maybe not a rookie if the rate at which she was tearing into Null Sector was any indication – but he’d never been as grateful for someone’s existence as he was in that moment._

_“Go get ‘em lass.” He huffed out a quiet laugh as he set up another turret, this one actually doing what it was supposed to, he hurried to catch up with the others, pulse pistols warding off any hostile who came near him. The kid was alright, he decided when he saw a relieved smile form on her face as he drew nearer._

He chuckled at the memory; he never thought he’d be so happy to be proven wrong, even if she refused to use his full name.

“Torb?” He turned around at the voice, brow furrowing at the way she seemed to hunch over.

“Lena? What’s wrong?” As if waiting for the question, her body flickered – it was brief, brief enough that he thought he’d imagined it, until it happened again, longer this time. He hurried over, keeping his hand on the accelerator, there was nothing he could do if she phased out but he could at least keep the device from being damaged. They managed to get over to the table soon enough, he easily detached the panel he knew existed only because he’d seen the blueprint. He sighed in relief upon realising a couple of wires had come loose, nothing he couldn’t fix, he reattached them fiddling with the ports until he was sure they wouldn’t come out again.

“There you go.” He felt her arms wrap around his shoulders and made no attempt to move away, he knew how much even the minor ‘glitches’ hurt her, the ones she couldn’t control at least.

“It’s okay lass.” He knew she only liked Winston checking the device despite knowing he was capable, he couldn’t fault her for that, he also knew she only came to him because the gorilla had exhausted himself enough to sleep and she hated waking him up.

“Thanks luv.” She pulled away and he pretended not to notice the shininess of her eyes.

* * *

 

No one noticed the way he checked her device before and after every mission, or the way she’d sit in his workshop and watch him work.


	13. Widowmaker

Widowmaker prowled through the hallways in silence, the other agents keeping their distance, whether it was because of the rifle clutched in her hand from training or something else she didn’t care. The door to the kitchen slid open as she approached it, she didn’t spare the camera a glance as she set the gun down and gathered items from the cabinets with an almost mechanical efficiency – truthfully, the ever watchful eyes of the team’s AI didn’t bother her as much as it would have done if she was still with Talon, mostly because she knew the AI acted as a security measure more than an actual method of keeping an eye on her. The team should probably be more wary of her, she had killed countless members back when the group was still legal, she’d brought it up to Reaper when she realised the man wasn’t at all concerned for their well-being and his answer had only confused her further. Why would having a close bond with a spunky pilot make people more relaxed in her presence? She remembered her time in Talon vividly, remembered the pain, and all of the assassinations she’d executed at their command – she briefly leaned against the counted when a slight pain stabbed at her mind, a memory of a time before Widowmaker:

_Amélie walked briskly along the pavement, work had been tiring and Gérard was working late, she could feel her legs burning from practice and the long walk to their home wasn’t helping. She felt her eyelids droop slightly and hurriedly blinked them awake, shaking her head in a futile attempt to rid herself of her exhaustion. She came across the bench she’d passed earlier that morning and chose to rest before her legs gave up supporting her, she leaned back against the wood, allowing her eyes to close for a few moments. A hand shook her awake a while later, Amélie’s eyes widened in shock upon seeing the sky had turned dark, clearly she’d slept longer than anticipated. She turned her attention to the figure standing above her, the soft blue glow beneath their shirt immediately identifying Lena. She had never met the woman herself but Gérard spoke highly of her._

_“Heya Luv, enjoy your sleep?” The woman’s voice was gentler than she expected, she nodded in agreement as she stood, wincing as she realised her adrenaline had worn off._

_“Easy, we don’t want you exhausting yourself more than you have done.” Normally that kind of comment would offend her but something about the younger woman kept that thought at bay. She didn’t resist when the pilot gently looped an arm around her waist, taking most of her weight as they walked back to Amélie’s house. The Englishwoman was talkative, and Amélie was thankful that she didn’t have to participate that much in the conversation, the softness of the other woman’s eyes made her think it was intentional. Amélie allowed the words to wash over her, not really paying much attention until they’d reached her house. Lena spared her a brief wave and a large smile as she headed back to the watchpoint she was currently stationed at. The smile remained on her face as she entered her house, Gérard’s expression melting from concern to relieved when he saw her._

_“So you met the_ _colibri?” It was no surprise that he arranged days out for the three of them after then, the young pilot easily slotting into Amélie’s life._

Widowmaker shook her head at the memory, Gérard was long gone and no matter what Overwatch believed Amélie was gone too. A thud on one of the tables caught her attention, Widowmaker turned to see Tracer had collapsed against the cold surface, the purple bags beneath her eyes visible without her goggles covering them. The sniper walked over, gently shaking the time-traveller’s shoulder, smiling briefly at the slight murmurs the younger woman released as she woke up.

“Hey Luv.” She greeted sleepily, Widowmaker said nothing as she hoisted the smaller woman into her arms, watching as she nuzzled happily against her.

“Let’s get you back to your room Chérie.” She gently lifted her rifle before leaving the room, her former-rival already snoring softly. They didn’t run into anyone along the way, something the sniper was grateful for. She pushed Tracer’s door open, thankful that the other woman always forgot to lock it, and carried the Englishwoman to her bed. She gently removed the harness – ensuring it was connected to the charging station – before removing Tracer’s gauntlets, crocs, goggles, and jacket. She pulled the quilt over her and stalked the chair on the other side of the room, gaze methodically switching between the window and door. She wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt her, not after she’d stopped trying

* * *

 

No one questioned the way Widowmaker almost blew McCree’s head off when he came to collect them for breakfast, or the fact that the sniper could frequently be seen with a sleeping Brit leaning against her.


	14. D.Va

Hana sighed once her computer screen went dark, sure, she loved recording for her fans but it did get tiring after a while. She rolled her neck in an attempt to ease the aches that had formed with little success; she stood from her desk and walked awkwardly to her door as her legs adjusted to the sudden change in position. She stepped into the hallway and headed to the kitchen, the peaceful glow of the moonlight filtering in through the windows, there was no one in the room when she arrived – not surprising, everyone would be asleep at this time. She headed over to the fridge and pulled out a box of leftovers the resident speedster had left her, smiling at the Brit’s thoughtfulness – the woman was definitely her favourite:

_Hana frowned as she caught sight of the scars in the mirror, her Mek’s ability to self-destruct was useful, there was no denying that, but the explosion wasn’t always easy to get away from. She carefully kept her wrists from facing the mirror; there were some things that she wanted to keep hidden, even from herself. She’d just pulled her shirt over her head when a knock was heard at the door; she headed over and unlocked it, smiling at the Brit on the other side._

_“Hiya!” Hana laughed slightly at the older woman’s cheerfulness, there was something about the Brit that made it impossible not to laugh at her antics._

_“Hey Lena, good to see you.” The Brit’s smile grew impossibly larger, the woman released a slight giggle as she wrapped an arm around the gamer’s shoulders. Hana released a giggle herself as she relaxed into the contact, she knew the Brit enjoyed human contact though she wasn’t entirely sure why._

_“Everyone’s meeting up in the common room for a movie, just came to see if you wanted to join?” Hana nodded with a smile, the others knew that her streams could last all night so they generally started without her; it was nice the Brit had come to find her before things started._

_“Great.” The other woman beamed as she led the way, Hana running to keep up with her. Lena often forgot that they couldn’t always keep up with her but it didn’t bother any of them, Hana felt herself relax as she chased after the blue glow. The two of them got to the common room fairly quickly and settled down on the only empty seat._

_“Now that everyone’s here we can get started.” Hana didn’t pay too much attention to the film; too busy enjoying the others’ company. Her hand started brushing subconsciously against the scars on her arm as she thought about her old team; she likely wouldn’t see them again, not with how hectic Talon was being. She didn’t realise her scars were uncovered until she felt a hand lightly grab her wrist, she quickly glanced up, barely seeing Lena’s eyes – even with the blue glow._

_“Are you alright luv?” Hana lightly shook her head, trying to ignore the dampness of her cheeks. She watched as Lena murmured an excuse about them needing the toilet before she felt herself being guided from the room; she didn’t pay much attention to their surroundings until she felt a mug being pushed into her hand._

_“I’m sorry.” She murmured around her tears, she knew she should’ve stayed in her room, no one would’ve seen them then. She knew she was the youngest member on the team, knew how inexperience the scars made her look, she closed her eyes as she waited for a reprimand. She blinked in surprise when she felt a hand gently lift her head up, staring through tear-blurred eyes at the woman in front of her – Lena’s expression was dominated by a sad smile._

_“It’s okay luv, you have nothing to be sorry for.” She felt a thumb wipe the tears from her cheeks and slumped against the time traveller, shivering when she felt the other woman’s arms wrap around her – the position was slightly awkward with the accelerator between them but neither of them minded._

_“I’m sorry.” She murmured again, she felt the Englishwoman tighten her hold and lightly run her fingers through her hair. They stayed like that until Hana had calmed down, the gamer listening to the way Lena’s voice vibrated against her head._

_“We all have scars Hana; it’d be daft for us to judge you for yours.” ‘Even you?’ she wanted to ask, because it seemed crazy that someone with the ability to manipulate their own time-stream would have any. They stayed like that for a few more minutes before heading back to the common room; the others didn’t seem to notice the way Hana snuggled closer to Lena._

Hana smiled as she finished her food, she’d paid more attention to the Brit after that, the way the other woman seemed to fit with everyone on the team – always helping them and not expecting anything in return.

“I should probably get some sleep.” She murmured to herself as she stood up, not wanting to deal with Angela if the doctor found out she’d been awake all night. She’d almost made it back to her room when she heard a soft sob, heart clenching when she realised who it was, she walked over to the door it was coming from and knocked softly against the hard surface.

“Lena? Can I come in?” She heard the lock click and slowly opened the door, heart freezing at what she saw. Lena was sat with her back facing the door, shirt and accelerator lying next to her as shivers wracked her frame. But that wasn’t what caught Hana’s attention, instead her eyes were locked on the mesh of scars covering the Brit’s back, and she could make out some stretching part way down her arms.

“Lena, who did this to you?” Because Hana wasn’t stupid, she could tell combat scars from others, and those definitely didn’t look like they came from battle. She watched as the Brit breathed a shuddery sigh and hesitantly ghosted a hand over one of the larger ones.

“I…I can’t…” The woman trailed off as another sob forced itself from her throat, Hana’s eyes widened in realisation, though part of her didn’t want to believe it.

“Your family did this to you?” She could tell Lena didn’t want to answer but the harsh sob was answer enough, Hana sat down next to her and pulled the shaking woman against her side. How was it that one so joyful could suffer so much?

“I’ll be fine luv.” Hana hated how small her voice sounded, she knew Lena didn’t believe her own words, that they were merely an attempt to get Hana to stop worrying about her.

“I know you will, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer alone.” She felt the speedster slump against her side and gently twirled one of the windswept spikes between her fingers, smiling slightly when the Brit stopped crying.

“Thanks luv.” Hana merely stood up, dragging Lena with her; she turned around while the older woman put her shirt and accelerator back on. Turning to face her when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she met Lena’s smile and gently wiped the tears from her face.

“Let’s go get ice-cream.” Hana smiled as they left the room, watching as Lena sped off to the kitchen.

* * *

 

No one mentioned the way the two of them could frequently be seen wearing tank tops around the watchpoint, scars on full display as they laughed about something on Hana’s phone.


End file.
